1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to remote education, such as education by correspondence or self-learning education, and, more specifically, to device and program for authenticating whether or not a viewer is actually viewing a remote education program.
2. Related Art
In remote education, the learners learn using programs provided through broadcasting media, such as television broadcasting or radio broadcasting, magnetic or optical recording media such as VTR, CD-ROM or DVD, printed media such as books or booklets, and electronic media such as the Internet. In conventional remote education, such as education by correspondence or self-learning education, the level of understanding of the contents is checked by giving examination questions to the learners and requiring the learners to submit the answers for the questions and used as criteria for judging the proficiency of the learners.
FIG. 22 is a view illustrating an audio-visual authentication method in remote education using satellite broadcasting as a broadcasting medium. In the drawing, reference numeral 1 denotes a video material for a program, 2 denotes a broadcast station, and 3 denotes a broadcast satellite, which may be either a geostationary orbit satellite or a low-earth-orbit satellite. Reference numeral 4 denotes a satellite broadcasting receiving tuner, and 5 denotes a TV set. Reference numeral 8 denotes a communication line, which may be either a public line or a dedicated (private-network) line. Reference numeral 12 denotes a response sheet, 13 denotes a facsimile machine, and 14 denotes postal service, which may be parcel delivery service by a private company (courier service). Reference numeral 15 denotes a remote education control center.
In the remote education constructed as above, the video material 1 as an educational material is broadcast as a program via the broadcast station 2 and the broadcast satellite 3. The viewer views (and/or listens to (just referred to as “view” hereinafter)) the program on the TV set 5 via the satellite broadcasting receiving tuner 4. After viewing the program, the viewer fills out the response sheet 12, and sends it to the control center 15 either by the facsimile machine 13 through the communication line 8 or by means of the postal service 14.
In the conventional remote education, however, it is impossible to know for certain whether or not the learner is viewing the program. That is, the problem is that confirmatory tests are conducted to confirm the learner's viewing in the remote education but it is impossible to know whether or not the learner has actually viewed the program only by checking the level of understanding as judged from the answers to the examination questions. The learner can give a correct answer without viewing the program if the learner has knowledge.
Another problem is that the learner cannot be identified from the response sheet 12 submitted as a response to the examination questions.
Yet another problem is that the confirmation of viewing takes much time because the collection of answer is made by means of the postal service 14, the facsimile machine 13 or the like.
As an invention for solving the problem of the conventional remote education, the invention disclosed in Patent Document 1 is known. Patent Document 1 discloses an invention in which the viewer's viewing of the audio-visual program is authenticated when the viewer transmits a viewing confirmation code, which is unique to the audio-visual program the viewer is viewing and consists of a predetermined character string to a viewing authenticating principal (or agent).    [Patent Document 1] JP-B2-P3498057 (refer to claim 1, FIG. 1 and FIG. 3)
The invention disclosed in Patent Document 1 is an outstanding invention compared to inventions known before the disclosure of the invention but has a problem because it may force the viewer of the audio-visual program to look away from the audio-visual program which the viewer is viewing for a while to watch his or her hand operating an audio-visual terminal when the viewer transmits a viewing confirmation code consisting of a predetermined character string via the audio-visual terminal operated by the viewer to the viewing authenticating principal. Especially, it is effective that the viewing authenticating principal authenticates the viewing when a part of the audio-visual program including important information is being presented, but the possibility which can be pointed out is that the viewer may miss important video images or description given by subtitles in the audio-visual program because the viewer looks away from the audio-visual program for a while to input a viewing confirmation code presented to the viewer in a part of the audio-visual program including important information into the audio-visual terminal operated by the viewer.
The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and it is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide audio-visual terminal and viewing authentication system suitable for authenticating that the viewer has viewed an audio-visual program, especially, for viewing authentication in remote education, and a program for controlling these devices.